Gerald Liddell, No. 32 in ESPN 100 for 2018, commits to Texas

Liddell is the second top-100 player to commit to the Longhorns in the past seven days, with forward Brock Cunningham (No. 90) going off the board last Friday.

Liddell, a 6-foot-7 forward from Byron P. Steele II High School (Texas), chose the Longhorns among seven schools that also included Baylor, Arizona, California, UCLA, Oregon and SMU.

Ranked No. 32 in the ESPN 100, Liddell is the No. 5 small forward in the country. He averaged 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds on the Nike EYBL circuit this spring and summer with the RM5 Elite AAU program.

Coach Shaka Smart and the Longhorns have had a very strong offseason since finishing last in the Big 12 in 2016-17. The highlight was beating out Kentucky for Mohamed Bamba, the No. 3 prospect in 2017 and a likely top-five draft pick next June. They also convinced potential first-round pick Andrew Jones to return to school for his sophomore season.

Liddell and Cunningham are the first two commitments in 2018 for Texas, although the Longhorns are expecting a deep and talented class. Keldon Johnson (No. 14) is the clear top target for Smart, with Quentin Grimes (No. 30), Kamaka Hepa (No. 63) and fast-rising perimeter player Kaden Archie also on the board.

Texas will also have Mount St. Mary's transfer Elijah Long sitting out the upcoming season. Long averaged 15.0 points and 4.4 assists as a sophomore for the Mountaineers.